ABC7
— Pritzker signs gun dealer licensing bill into law – Craig Wall
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/governor-jb-pritzker-signs-gun-dealer-licensing-bill-into-law/5092894/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Supporters of the bill say federal regulators are stretched too thin, but opponents say the new licensing is expensive, and could force small dealers out of business. The Illinois Rifle Association released a statement Thursday saying, “The state licenses for gun dealers measure was passed in the previous General Assembly but was never sent to Governor Rauner because 2nd Amendment rights opponents knew he would veto it. Political gamesmanship like this is just a typical day in Illinois politics. The Illinois State Rifle Association is deeply disappointed in the action taken today, but is certainly not surprised. The federal government already licenses gun dealers. There is no need to add yet another layer of bureaucracy on gun dealers. The only thing this measure is going to do is make it cost more money for gun dealers to do business in Illinois, which is going to hurt the smaller dealers. The action taken today is another assault on our 2nd Amendment rights. Nothing in this bill is going to enhance public safety in Illinois. The only thing that is being accomplished here is the creation of a bureaucratic nightmare for gun dealers. Rest assured, we will be challenging this new law in court.”)
— Smoking in car with kids could carry $1,000 fine in Indiana soon (DIERSEN: What about smoking pot in a car with kids?)
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/$1000-fine-proposed-for-smoking-with-kids-in-car/5093429/
NBC5
— Pritzker Orders Worker-Training Investment Review (DIERSEN: How much of your time and your money have you invested in job-related education? I invested lots of my time and my money earning a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, b) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and c) a job-related professional license when I was 32.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/pritzker-orders-worker-training-investment-review-504478272.html
CBS2
— Governor JB Pritzker Signs Gun Dealer Licensing Law – Mike Puccinelli
Governor JB Pritzker Signs Gun Dealer Licensing Law
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Supporters have called it commonsense legislation, but opponents have said it’s classic government overreach. Gun rights advocates said the measure would run small dealers out of business due to the cost of the new regulations.)
FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Pritzker signs bill allowing Illinois to license gun dealers – AP
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/crime/new-gov-pritzker-signs-oft-rejected-gun-dealer-licensing
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The law affects about 2,400 firearms dealers and its provisions take effect in six months. Each must show it is licensed with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and purchase a five-year state permit — $1,500 for retail shops and $300 for independent dealers. Each must install videotaping in retail sections of the store, maintain an electronic inventory and require annual employee training in spotting so-called straw purchases. The Illinois State Rifle Association promised a lawsuit challenging the plan. “The federal government already licenses gun dealers. There is no need to add yet another layer of bureaucracy on gun dealers,” executive director Richard Pearson said in a statement. “The only thing this measure is going to do is make it cost more money for gun dealers to do business in Illinois, which is going to hurt the smaller dealers. “The action taken today is another assault on our 2nd Amendment rights.” Pritzker, who already this week reversed course on GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner’s policies toward labor with pro-union action, said gun-rights organizations are “just wrong” in their criticism of the licensing bill. He added, “I’m going to continue to make sure that we’re standing up to the voices like the Illinois State Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association to protect our families and our children.”)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs law requiring state licensing of Illinois gun dealers; rifle association threatens lawsuit – Mike Riopell
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-met-jb-pritzker-signs-gun-legislation-20190117-story.html
— DuPage County fentanyl deaths up 76% in 2018, total opioid-related deaths up 3%, coroner says – Erin Hegarty
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-nvs-dupage-county-opioid-deaths-2018-st-0118-story.html
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Anti-abortion activist Matthew Wiersema, 26, of Wheaton, says Melrose Park cop chastised and left him in Maywood – Mitch Dudek
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/anti-abortion-activist-says-melrose-park-cop-chastised-dropped-off-maywood/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Wiersema told the Chicago Sun-Times Thursday that he was handcuffed, put in a police car and driven to nearby Maywood, where police released him but kept his camera. “This isn’t an arrest, so shut up with your bull—- and go show this garbage to somebody in f—— Wheaton,” a voice can be heard saying on Wiersema’s video. Hours later, Wiersema returned to the Melrose Park police station to file a complaint and retrieve his camera. He later posted the video online.)
— Pritzker signs ‘long overdue’ gun dealer licensing bill, vows ‘more work to do’ – Tina Sfondeles (DIERSEN: ‘More work to do’ is code for abolishing the Second Amendment and confiscating all firearms from non-Democrats.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/pritzker-signs-gun-dealer-licensing-measure/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Illinois State Rifle Association said in a statement that the law will hurt small dealers by making them pay more. And they called it “another assault on our 2nd Amendment rights.” “Nothing in this bill is going to enhance public safety in Illinois,” the group said in a statement. “The only thing that is being accomplished here is the creation of a bureaucratic nightmare for gun dealers. Rest assured, we will be challenging this new law in court.”)
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater asks “Two years in: Is American great again yet?”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/steinberg-trump-administration-two-year-anniversary-reelection/
— The dubious attack of psychologists on ‘traditional masculinity’ – Gene Lyons
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/the-dubious-attack-of-psychologists-on-traditional-masculinity/
DAILY HERALD
— Construction to begin on long-awaited Jefferson center in District 200 – Katlyn Smith
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190117/construction-to-begin-on-long-awaited-jefferson-center-in-district-200
NORTHWEST HERALD
— Kinzinger is right to call out shutdown stupidity – Editorial
https://www.nwherald.com/2019/01/16/our-view-kinzinger-is-right-to-call-out-shutdown-stupidity/ar2egxb/
— The future of the Republican Party in Illinois – David McSweeney
https://www.nwherald.com/2019/01/16/our-view-the-future-of-the-republican-party-in-illinois/axhgeni/
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Gov. Pritzker signs gun dealer certification bill – AP
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20190117/gov-pritzker-signs-gun-dealer-certification-bill
KANKAKEE DAILY JOURNAL
— People, not politicians, should hold power – Scott Reeder
https://www.daily-journal.com/opinion/columnists/scott-reeder-people-not-politicians-should-hold-power/article_5d788294-1905-11e9-9def-7b5c477e2714.html
TIMES
— Sen. Sue Rezin named to Republican leadership team
https://www.mywebtimes.com/2019/01/17/sen-sue-rezin-named-to-republican-leadership-team/ab67o9t/
- LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/01/17/medical-marijuana-meet-seven-st-louis-players.html
QUAD CITIES ONLINE
— Party bosses, pols pick Illinois leaders – SCOTT REEDER
https://qconline.com/opinion/columnists/party-bosses-pols-pick-illinios-leaders/article_6009b7ee-bc54-5038-8bf0-1e7718435809.html
WSPY
— Local Legislators Appointed to House, Senate Leadership Roles
http://www.wspynews.com/news/local/local-legislators-appointed-to-house-senate-leadership-roles/article_1541c458-1a5f-11e9-8da8-87e29b771b8b.html
FOX ILLINOIS
— Cohen acknowledges rigging polls for Trump in 2014 and 2015 – AP
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/cohen-acknowledges-rigging-polls-for-trump-in-2014-and-2015
— 2020 Democrats face a choice: Fight Trump or ignore him? – AP
https://foxillinois.com/news/connect-to-congress/2020-democrats-face-a-choice-fight-trump-or-ignore-him
NAPERVILLE COMMUNITY TELEVISION
— DuPage County Election Commission Dissolves
https://www.nctv17.com/news/dupage-county-election-commission-dissolves/
CHICAGO CRUSADER
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “Face it America, racism is the trump card of the current presidency.” Typically, Trump-haters also hate individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, rich, gun owners, German Americans, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://chicagocrusader.com/face-it-america-racism-is-the-trump-card-of-the-current-presidency/
DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Ives weighs in on DuPage Township corruption scandal – Glenn Minnis
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511723648-ives-weighs-in-on-dupage-corruption-scandal
— Ives blasts Rauner for last-minute veto – Glenn Minnis
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/511723012-ives-blasts-rauner-for-last-minute-veto
WILL COUNTY GAZETTE
— Benford hopes Mayer’s departure heralds new era for DuPage Township – Glenn Minnis
https://willcountygazette.com/stories/511723695-benford-hopes-mayer-s-departure-heralds-new-era-for-dupage-township
ILLINOIS OPPORTUNITY PROJECT
— What We Want to See from Governor J.B. Pritzker
https://illinoisopportunity.org/what-we-want-to-see-from-governor-j-b-pritzker/
ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Illinois congressman Rodney Davis wants site of Springfield Race Riot to be a National Historic Monument (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout that members of the following groups benefitted from their parents’, their grandparents’, their great grandparents’, and the rest of their ancestors’ discrimination against minorities and against women and therefore should pay the price of Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Inclusion: Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older people, rich people, gun owners, German Americans, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.ilnews.org/news/statewide/illinois-congressman-wants-site-of-springfield-race-riot-to-be/article_0e367af8-1a75-11e9-bc69-1308c9169d6f.html
— Illinois’ gubernatorial race sets national spending record – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/illinois-gubernatorial-race-sets-national-spending-record/article_81122c72-1a91-11e9-8ce1-438f59ef61ef.html
— Gun advocates eye court challenge after Pritzker signs gun dealer licensing bill – Greg Bishop
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/gun-advocates-eye-court-challenge-after-pritzker-signs-gun-dealer/article_824a835e-1a7e-11e9-a31b-9f9391dc7aca.html
CAPITOL FAX
— Rauner deletes his account
https://capitolfax.com/2019/01/17/rauner-deletes-his-account/
— McSweeney’s path forward for the GOP
https://capitolfax.com/2019/01/17/mcsweeneys-path-forward-for-the-gop/
— Edgar out front on horsemen gaming push
https://capitolfax.com/2019/01/17/edgar-out-front-on-horsemen-gaming-push/
FOX NEWS RADIO
— Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL): Senator Rand Paul Is A Very Weak Person Wanting To Retreat From The Middle East
https://radio.foxnews.com/2019/01/17/congressman-adam-kinzinger-r-il-senator-rand-paul-is-a-very-weak-person-wanting-to-retreat-from-the-middle-east/
BREITBART
— New York Times Op-Ed Urges Open Borders: ‘Let Them In’ – Neil Munro
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2019/01/17/new-york-times-op-ed-urges-open-borders-let-them-in/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Federal employees need to prepare for the next government shutdown – Ryan Ellis
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/federal-employees-need-to-prepare-for-the-next-government-shutdown
CNS NEWS
— GOP Congressman Introduces Bill to Prevent Government Shutdowns – Melanie Arter
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/melanie-arter/gop-congressman-introduces-bill-prevent-government-shutdowns
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The bill was also sponsored by Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and Fred Upton (R-Mich.).)
EAGLE FORUM
— Feminism Destroys Lives (DIERSEN: What do you say to men who pander to feminists? I should write a book about men in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois who pander to feminists.)
https://eagleforum.org/publications/efr/jan19.html
GOPUSA
— NAACP, Maxine Waters and Ocasio-Cortez go after CBS for lack of black reporters; CBS caved (DIERSEN: How has EEOC impacted you? What did you want when you were young? I wanted a successful career in the automotive industry. EEOC ended all that in 1971 when I was 22 when Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted saying that it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. That made me unemployed because Firestone had fired me for accepting that offer. I had to get a job fast because I had a financial hardship draft deferment to help support my mother and brother. Because of the aforesaid, I accepted a job offer from IRS.)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=63488
— Ed Case, Hawaii Democrat, claims he’s ‘an Asian trapped in a white body’ (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Whites act like they are minorities trapped in White bodies, men act like they are females trapped in male bodies, older people like they are younger people trapped in older people bodies, German Americans act like they are non-German Americans trapped in German American bodies, and Whites act like they are Democrats trapped in Republican bodies. Ever-increasingly, in America, it is unpopular to be White, male, older, German American, and Republican.)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=63588
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, bringing ‘gangster’ to government
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=63457
— Harry Reid hits Ocasio-Cortez’s 70% tax hike, warns Democrats not to push ‘radical change’
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=63510
CONSERVATIVE HQ
— Marines Hoist White Flag To Social Justice Warriors
http://www.conservativehq.com/node/29502
THE HILL
— Trump fires back at Pelosi, cancels her foreign travel – JORDAN FABIAN
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/425887-trump-fires-back-at-pelosi-cancels-her-foreign-travel
NEW YORK TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Only an anti-American would say “There’s Nothing Wrong With Open Borders.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/opinion/open-borders-immigration.html
— As Shutdown Drags On, Some Step Up to Help Unpaid Federal Workers – Glenn Thrush, Julie Bosman and Kirk Johnson
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/us/politics/government-shutdown-security-net-.html
WASHINGTON POST
— Back pay approved for furloughed federal employees once shutdown ends – Eric Yoder
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/17/back-pay-approved-furloughed-federal-employees-once-shutdown-ends/?utm_term=.0c4e4b568d32
— The abortion issue is more polarized than ever, leading some to view March for Life as a Republican rally – Julie Zauzmer (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those in Wheaton, in Glen Ellyn, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois a) who reject the right to life plank in the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) platform and b) who have worked the hardest to destroy those like me who support that plank.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/01/17/abortion-issue-is-more-polarized-than-ever-leading-some-view-march-life-republican-rally/
CAMPUS SAFETY
— GAO Report: Gov’t Must Do More to Combat Hunger on College Campuses A new report from the GAO found in 2016, two million college students who qualified for food assistance did not receive the benefits. – Amy Rock (DIERSEN: My outstanding parents provided me with room and board in their home in Crete while I attended UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969.)
https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/gao-hunger-on-college-campuses/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Bills to protect federal employees, interns from sexual harassment pass House – Eric White
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-newscast/2019/01/bills-to-protect-federal-employees-and-interns-from-sexual-harassment-pass-house/
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Federal Employees Rally to Highlight the Work They’re Not Doing During the Shutdown – Eric Katz
https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2019/01/federal-employees-rally-highlight-work-theyre-not-doing-during-shutdown/154258/
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
— Government Shutdown: Pampered Federal Workers Don’t Deserve Anyone’s Pity – Editorial (DIERSEN: Should I write a book about those who have demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me the most since 1966 when I was 18 years old a) for my being a federal employee for almost 30 years and b) for my being a federal retiree for more than 21 years?)
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/federal-workers-government-shutdown/
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: The worst thing about the government shutdown isn’t the — minimal — harm it’s causing. It’s all the misplaced hand-wringing about federal workers, most of whom are overpaid and underworked, and all whom will get their back pay once government reopens. As the shutdown goes on, news accounts of the alleged suffering of federal workers mount. They’re lining up at food banks! They’re forced to take odd jobs, or rent rooms out on Airbnb! They need help! This week, Kraft Foods announced that it was opening a “pop-up” store in Washington, D.C. to provide free food to federal workers so that none of them “have to worry about putting dinner on the table because they aren’t receiving a paycheck.” Whole Foods hosted a free spaghetti dinner at select stores. Other companies are chipping in. Keep in mind that the 800,000 federal workers affected by the shutdown have so far missed a grand total of one paycheck, which would have arrived five days ago. There’s no doubt that this is challenging for many workers, particularly those who don’t budget their money well. But Congress has already guaranteed they will be made whole once the shutdown ends. This is an inconvenience, not a hardship. In the meantime, let’s remember who we are talking about here. While there are certainly plenty of hardworking, dedicated federal workers, they are, for the most part, incredibly pampered. They get better pay and more generous benefits than private sector workers doing the same things. They work fewer hours. And they have far greater job security. Better Pay and Benefits An analysis of federal pay by the Congressional Budget Office found that when you combine pay and benefits, federal workers make as much as 52% more than their private sector counterparts, depending on their education level. It also found that this gap has widened in recent years, because even when the economy was in a recession, federal workers kept getting annual pay hikes. A more recent analysis by the Cato Institute found that federal employees make 76% more than private sector workers. Using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Cato report found that the average federal employee pulls down $123,160 a year in pay and benefits, compared with $69,901 in the private sector. It also found that this gap had increased since the 1990s, when it was 39%. They also get generous amounts of paid time off, including nearly two weeks of paid sick leave, 10 federal holidays and at least two weeks paid vacation. Less Productive Not only do federal workers make more, they work less than those in the private sector. A Heritage Foundation analysis found that federal employees put in an average 38.7 hours a week, compared with 41.4 in the private sector. Other reports show that government workers are 38% more likely to take time off work for illness or personal reasons, and miss 50% more hours than private sector workers. Here’s one case in point. After the Obama administration eliminated the International Labor Comparisons office, which employed 16 economists, the private sector Conference Board took on the work. But instead of 16 workers, the Conference Board needed only three to do the work. Project Veritas recently produced a series of undercover videos, in which federal workers bragged about how little they work, or how much time they spend at work on outside projects. Is it any surprise that the quit rate among federal workers is one-quarter the quit rate in the private sector? Unmatched Job Security What’s more, it is almost impossible to fire a federal worker. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the rate of layoffs and discharges among federal workers is one sixth the rate of the private sector. A Government Accountability audit found that it can take between five months to more than a year to fire a poor performing worker. Another GAO audit found that managers routinely hand out top performance ratings to federal workers. In fact, 99.5% got a “fully successful” rating or above. More than a third earned the highest rating of “outstanding.” At the other end of the spectrum, just 0.4% of federal workers got “minimally successful” and 0.1% “unacceptable” ratings. Worse still, federal workers who do cause serious problems at work often get put on paid administrative leave as punishment. Yet another GAO audit found that the government spent more than $3 billion in just two years for what amounted to paid vacations. Hundreds of federal workers had received a year or more of paid administrative leave. One Quarter Are ‘Non-Essential’ As we noted in this space earlier, government agencies affected by the shutdown furloughed about 400,000 workers. (The other 400,000 “essential workers” are at their jobs, but not currently getting paychecks.) Excluding the military (which is unaffected by the shutdown) and the Postal Service (which is self-financed), that means 25% of the total federal work force of just over 3 million is “nonessential.” At several agencies, the vast majority of workers are “nonessential.” Here’s a sampling compiled by Government Executive of the share of workers furloughed during the shutdown. NASA: 95.4% Housing and Urban Development: 95.4% Securities and Exchange Commission: 93.5% Commerce Department: 86% Federal Trade Commission 76.7% Department of the Interior: 76% Department of Agriculture: 66.5%. Collectively, just this sampling of government agencies spent more than $244 billion of taxpayer money last year. If nothing else, the shutdown has highlighted how bloated the federal workforce has become. Many Threatened To Quit Anyway Lastly, more than a quarter of the federal workforce threatened to quit if President Donald Trump got elected. A survey of federal employees by the Government Business Council and GovExec.com found that 14% said they would “definitely” consider quitting their jobs and another 13% said they might consider it. Just 65% said they’d stay on at their jobs no matter who wins. The shutdown provides these workers a perfect opportunity to live up to their promise. And the booming labor market means that there are plenty of jobs in the private sector. (Of course, that would mean giving up their cushy federal jobs.) The government will eventually reopen. All of these workers will be back on the job. And they’ll all get paid for the days they stayed home. So please, spare us the crocodile tears.)
